Deputy police and crime commissioner resigns after Twitter storm

Deputy police and crime commissioner Dr Rachel Frosh has resigned following a storm of criticism which erupted after she retweeted a quote by Adolf Hitler.

Dr Frosh later deleted the post on the social networking site, which linked Nazism and socialism, and included an image of Hitler. She has since said she “did not remember” retweeting the original message.

Commissioner David Lloyd, who only appointed his number two in December, said at first that he would not be rushing to judgement, but was concerned.

He added: “It is not something I would have done. These are public high profile roles. We must recognise that everything we do is open for scrutiny.”

Dr Frosh, who was on a salary of £20,000 for the two day a week role, has now specified on her blog that her retweets do not equal endorsement, adding she did not think it was necessary to do so before.

Dr Frosh also commented: “I appreciate that David must have constructive relationships with all political

parties.

“I recognise that I am not able to fully comment on some political issues whilst remaining as Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner. It is therefore with great regret that I have tendered my resignation this morning.”

The former deputy had deleted her Twitter account after the furore, and defended her stance on the political issues raised by the retweet.

Mr Lloyd said today: “I am sad to have to accept Rachel’s resignation. She has taken the honourable course of action by making this decision and I will miss her valuable contribution to my work to further improve policing and crime reductions for the public of Hertfordshire.”